ISR Survival Swimming Parent Testimonials

I cannot say enough good things about isr and Janna Wertz. My only regret is not knowing about this sooner for my kids. Both my children were instantly comfortable with Janna in the water. She builds trust with them and guides them so that they feel safe and willing to try even if they are scared our unsure. I was impressed and surprised at how quickly they learned and the amount of progress they made in a few weeks. We now can swim and be around water knowing our children have the skills to save themselves and enjoy the water. I highly recommend isr to everyone. - Anita H.

As new parents, we used floaties when we swam with our son. He got so comfortable floating around that he was safe without us in the pool, but watching from outside. Don’t make this mistake! At a gathering, someone took his floaties off so he could have a snack with friends. We didn’t know this. Our brazen two year old forgot he didn’t have floaties on and jumped in the pool. We didn’t see him or hear him jump in, but thankfully a family friend saw him struggling and jumped in after him. It was after this scary incident we realized floaties give kids a false sense of security and we needed to teach our son survival skills. We were hesitant to do ISR because we envisioned throwing our kid in the water and watching him struggle. That is NOT what happens. Janna gave our son confidence, skills and respect for the water in a controlled setting where she made it fun and rewarding for him to learn. Our two year old can swim in the water, roll on his back for rest, and knows what to do to in duress. She even got him wearing goggles and swimming for toys in the pool, without floaties! Every lesson he progressed tremendously because of Janna. Janna is patient, loving, and very good with children. I would recommend her in a heartbeat to anyone. ISR is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Worth every penny! -Lauren S.

We contacted Janna Wertz for Infant Swim Survival classes after we bought a boat. As a pediatric nurse, I have seen too often the devastation of drowning, so it was a priority for us, that our son could rescue himself if he fell off the boat. My husband trains lifeguards and swim instructors for a living. He had worked with our son since he was four months old but was never able to get him to hold his breath. Within two weeks of lessons with Janna, our 13 month old son had learned how to hold his breath under water and float independently. By the end of the third week, he had mastered floating in winter clothes and jacket. Janna was amazing at convincing the boy who screamed for the entire first lesson to trust her. She was also very thorough with us, the parents, teaching us how to reinforce and practice all the skills he had mastered. We will definitely be working with Janna in the future for refreshers and skill advancement. -Lisa W.

Our ISR experience with Janna has been an incredible blessing. My 3-year-old and 1.5-year-old boys just completed the program and I am extremely pleased with the results. Not only have they loved every minute of ISR lessons, but also can safely float by themselves and practice other safe swim skills. It has given me and them a sense of peace in and near water. The time commitment and money are absolutely worth it! Janna is very knowledgeable, commited and makes lessons fun with songs and lots of praise. She WILL teach your child how to be safe in the water and be able to save themselves, it’s incredible and I highly encourage other moms to try ISR with Janna. -Katie L.

With Janna's background in education and physical therapy, she brings a unique set of skills to survival swim lessons. Our 3 year old son was terrified of water and within the first week of water games and songs, she gently helped him develop the skills to feel confident around water. In only a few more weeks, she helped him master the skills necessary to rescue himself by holding his breath, floating on his back, or swimming to the side should he fall in. He now loves swimming and is making quick progress on learning his strokes. -Erin N.

We loved our swim lessons with Janna. She is a wonderful teacher and our boys had fun throughout the ISR program. Even after just one lesson with Janna our three year old, who was afraid of the big pool, developed confidence and a love of swimming. I feel much more comfortable bringing our one year old and three year old to the pool after their lessons with Janna. We look forward to more lessons this fall! -Erica A.

Thanks so much, Janna! It was awesome to see how much Gabe (5 years old) and Laila (3 years old) learned from you...they really enjoy being in the water now. I told Laila last night that our swimming lessons with you were over and that she'd be swimming with me from now on, and she started crying, saying that she "needed Janna!" You have a fan. :) We'll be sure to practice a lot and come back for refresher lessons when they need them. Thanks again! - Kellie B.

I decided to put my 3 year old son in lessons with Janna after a couple scary incidents around the pool. Before lessons with Janna, I couldn't even persuade him to practice his back float by resting his head on my shoulder in the water as other instructors had encouraged me to do--he felt much too vulnerable with any part of his head in the water. That of course meant putting his face in the water simply was not going to happen. We would swim often but unless he was in his lifejacket or holding very firmly to me, he was terrified. After just a short time with Janna he was confidently putting his face in the water, holding his breath, and even doing a "star fish" float on his own. By the end of our 6 weeks, he was swimming to the wall on his own, flipping over to his star fish and even doing some elementary back stroke. Now when we swim he yells at me to "let go of him", jumps off the side of the pool and swims to me and loves to pick objects up off the bottom of the pool. He is much safer around the water and swimming is much more fun for all of us. Amazing! Absolutely worth every penny and every minute of time. -Maria K.

Janna is a phenomenal teacher. She is very professional but being a mom herself, she radiates trust and love and my daughter thrived throughout her lessons. Frannah was excited to go every morning even though some days were cold. She can't wait to go for the refresher course! I would highly recommend Janna to any parent who would like their kids to be safe in the water and acquire the necessary skills to swim well. She is the best. - Carina C.

My experience with Janna and the ISR program far exceeded my expectations. I was shocked by the skill level my daughter had by the third week. Most people think of the program for young infants, but I would encourage anyone with a toddler/preschooler (my child is 2.5) to give it a try. I have two older children that did traditional swim lessons and now I regret they never had the chance to learn safety and swim skills through this method. It is so much quicker and more importantly, my daughter had a blast doing it. When it was over she continued to ask every day if she could go to swim lessons. It was really fun for me to watch the progress and see my daughter's proud face when she mastered a new skill. Janna is the most patient and encouraging instructor. She genuinely cares about her students. Thanks Janna! - Deb S.

We had a really bad experience with my daughter in group swimming lessons. She went under water without a lifeguard on deck and the instructor didn't notice that she was under water, unable to help herself. I rushed through a locker room (the parents sat behind a glass wall in a different room) and into the pool fully dressed in winter attire, to retrieve her, and from that moment on I had an extreme anxiety whenever my kids were near a pool. I knew we needed something different for swimming lessons. My friend had told me about ISR, and after watching a video of her 2 year old jumping off a diving board and swimming to the edge, I knew that's what we needed. So I took my 3 kids, ages 10 months, 2 1/2, and 7 1/2, to lessons with Janna. While the drive was 30-40 minutes each way, every day for many weeks, it was sooooo worth it! While ISR does not replace the need to be very vigilant at the pool with your kids, my kids do have the skills they need to help themselves and it's awesome! We actually have a blast at the pool again. And Janna was such an amazing instructor. She was always kind and encouraging to my kids, and so incredibly focused on what she was doing when she was in the water with them. I always felt comfortable and trusted her with what she was doing, which was HUGE for me. This was by far, one of the best things we have done for our kids and I highly recommend going to Janna if you can! - Nichole J.

My son Dustin is 10 years old and was deathly afraid of the water. I had enrolled him in swimming lessons (both private and group) for 8 years. He had made virtually no progress. Then we met Janna. I asked her if she would try to work with him and she said yes, but only for 10 minutes a day, Monday-Friday for up to 6 weeks. I was a little skeptical but thought we'd try it. On the first day of his lesson with Janna he would hardly put his face in the water and would not go in water where he couldn't stand. By the end of the 3.5 weeks (yes he finished early!) he is doing the back stroke, the breast stroke and free style. He is not afraid to go in deep water. He even passed the swim test at the Y allowing him to go in the big pool by himself! He also went down the slide for the very first time in his life. All he wants to do now is swim all the time. He loves it! I am so relieved and greatly thankful to Janna. I cannot believe the transformation. He is a swimmer now! - Shelly D.

We were at a friend's pool that is zero entry and only 1-1.5' deep all the way, so I was letting Chloe (16 months) walk around as she wanted to and I was just sitting in the middle so I could get to her if needed. At one point she fell forward and I went to grab her but then I wanted to see what she would do...I counted to four and by four she had rolled over and was floating until I got her! My friend came over and said how cool it was to watch that, though at first she was confused why I was just watching her facedown in the water! I was very proud of her. Thanks for teaching her how to help herself in the water!! -Amy Y.

I could not have asked for a better instructor than Janna Wertz. She is phenomenal! I traveled one hour for lessons with her and would do it again in a heartbeat. She is very sweet and very professional. My son absolutely loved and trusted her throughout our six weeks of lessons. She has a great sense of calm that my son fed off of. I would, and will, do this again with Janna. She is the greatest! - Krista D.

My children have both greatly benefited from swim lessons with Janna. My 3 year old daughter can now swim float swim on her own with no floatation device. It’s amazing to see her move through the water and be able to float when she needs to take a break or a breath. I had no idea that she would be able to swim so well at 3 years old and Janna was a big part of making that happen. My 18 month old was a very challenging student and resisted learning to swim with Janna. Janna was very patient and tailored each lesson to her ability. After taking lessons with Janna twice she loves the water and can float on her own. I’m sure that after a few more lessons with Janna she will also be as good of a swimmer as her sister. What makes Janna such a great teacher is her ability to change the lesson depending on the ability of the child and her love of teaching swimming. She’s also very responsive, easy to communicate with, and has a great attitude. - Cheryl C.

I appreciate you tailoring the lessons to Liam. I am so proud of him, and cannot thank you enough for treating us both so well. It is a skill that is priceless and that he will surly keep with him forever. I will bring him back for a refresher course, and keep his skills up the best that I can in the mean time. You do such a wonderful thing and bring peace to so many parents. I am so thankful that there are people out there like you, willing to put in the hard work. I personally have recommended you to countless mommy friends, and have gotten such positive feedback from his video. Enjoy your fall and winter, and we will be back next year. - Sarah S.

We have been amazed with the results of the ISR instruction our 3-year old daughter received from Janna. Until recently, we didn't know that this type of potentially life saving swim course even existed. Within a matter of weeks our daughter was taught to swim, float, swim. She has always enjoyed the water but hadn't been in a one-on-one setting for instruction before meeting Janna. Janna has a way with children and quickly gains their trust. Our daughter was absolutely thrilled to be learning these life saving techniques each day and as parents we couldn't be happier to witness this. ISR training does require a daily time commitment but it is well worth it to know our daughter is much safer around water than she would be if she never had taken this critical course. We look forward to learning strokes with Janna in the future. We highly recommend ISR training with Janna. - Alicia B.

My kids love Janna. They can't wait to swim with her. She taught my youngest daughter to swim-float-swim after she had learned to float from a previous teacher. Now she loves the water and she swims easily and safely - and she's not yet 2 years old. And when my youngest son started with Janna he could swim-float-swim, but just barely. She gave him confidence in the water and strengthened his swimming. She also taught him to swim on his back. Now, at 4 years old, if he fell in the water he has the confidence to figure out where he wants to go and move his body to get there by combining swimming on his front, swimming on his back, and floating. Thank you Janna!! - Teal H.

Janna is an amazing teacher! We feel so fortunate that both of our boys (one that had been through most of the ISR program before but not finished, and our youngest, who had never had instruction) had the opportunity to work with her. She was truly able to tailor not only the lessons to each of their capabilities, but also to their personalities and strengths. I truly felt like she cared for my kids the way she would care for her own, which was such a comfort, as learning to be water-safe was not easy for them in the beginning. Both kids finished successfully and have a completely different relationship with the water. All of her past teaching experience, physical therapy experience as well as her experience as a mother have come together to make her a phenomenal instructor. - Krista C.

Janna was an amazing ISR Teacher. We have a pool at our house and our two year old can swim and or float all the way across it with ease. He has a love for swimming. He turns on his back often to rest and can to get to a safer spot. Thanks Janna. - Sue B.

I enrolled my 4 year old daughter in ISR lessons this summer with Janna Wertz as her instructor. The level of trust my daughter developed with Janna and the skills and confidence she gained in the water over five weeks far exceeded my expectations. Janna provided focused, individualized instruction to my daughter that was always calm, encouraging, and positive. She worked with and motivated my daughter with experienced ease. Each minute of the lesson was used wisely and I could see how the lessons appropriately built on one another. Janna also provided frequent feedback on my daughter's progress and guidance on how to reinforce skills with my daughter outside of her lessons. My daughter learned the swim-float-swim sequence in 3 1/2 weeks. After that, Janna sterted to work on her developing basic swim strokes. I now have reasssurance that if my daughter accidentally fell in to a body of water, she would have the skills and confidence to get herself to a safe place. I consider the ISR program to be an invaluable investment in a child's safety and an effective approach to developing foundational skills in the water. - Geneva D.

We just arrived back after our trip to Florida and Adelyn is SWIMMING! We played and worked with her in the water and by the end of the trip she was going off the top stair in the pool, swimming out to us, with one flip, and then turning around and swimming back to the stairs! She loves it!! I am so excited and thrilled that I have a little swimmer, it is so cool to watch her and see how happy and confident she is in the water! Thank you so much! I am so thankful for you and ISR. - Amy D. (her daughter is 19 months)

I signed our 3 1/2 year old daughter up for ISR lessons with Janna and was a little nervous. Mostly because our daughter was older and really did not like the water. Even washing her hair in the bathtub was an issue. Janna was really patient and encouraging and by the second week, Allie was excited to go see "Miss Janna" everyday. Now that lessons are over, she keeps asking to go back. We are really excited for our trip to Mexico in a few weeks where we can all swim together as a family! - Sherri G.